Government completed resampling in St. Croix water concern areas, awaiting lab results

The Virgin Islands Joint Information Center said on Oct. 23, 2023, that the government had completed additional sampling in St. Croix as it investigated lead and copper contamination in parts of the island’s water distribution system.

The government said its preliminary assessment, based on work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was that the contamination was unlikely to originate from the Water and Power Authority’s water source. Initial findings indicated the problem was within the distribution system in Estates Castle Burke, Colquhoun, Diamond and Mon Bijou.

Officials said 74 samples were collected during the weekend before Oct. 23 in the identified areas of concern, in addition to 10 samples collected the previous week. The samples were transported by WAPA personnel to laboratories in Puerto Rico and Florida.

The Joint Information Center said results from the first batch of samples were expected by the end of the week of Oct. 23. It said the findings would be used to assess the extent of the issue and help determine whether conditions met the threshold for a state of emergency.

The government also said three teams were meeting daily on the response: a technical team, a public information team and a joint command interagency team led by the commissioners of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Department of Health.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/government-of-the-virgin-islands-completes-resampling-of-concern-areas-in-st-croix-water-distribution-system/